With NHL Free Agency opening on July 1, the Boston Bruins will have decisions to make on both their expiring contracts as well as players leaving other teams that they could make a run for on the open market.
Earlier this month, we ranked the top 10 most important Boston Bruins free agents, consisting of the players with expiring contracts and their relative value to the team.
This time, we’ll be covering 10 free agents from other teams that could be attractive to Boston. These are not ranked in any particular order, but it will ultimately focus on the Bruins’ biggest needs: a top-six forward (or two) and a left-shot defenseman. Backup goalie was also a potential need, but after the Bruins traded Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators on Monday, Joonas Korpisalo — one of the returning pieces — is poised to compete with Brandon Bussi for the job.
There will be a new name covered every day leading up to the start of free agency.
Previously, we looked at forwards Elias Lindholm, Tyler Bertuzzi, Tyler Toffoli and Vladimir Tarasenko, as well as defensemen Brenden Dillon and Shayne Gostisbehere, but today we look at a different forward option:
Chandler Stephenson, Forward
Age: 30
2023-24 team(s): Vegas Golden Knights
2023-24 stats: 75 GP, 16G-35A-51P
Previous Contract AAV: $2.75 million
Expected New AAV (per AFPAnalytics): $5.63 million
Perhaps a slightly more “under-the-radar” name, Stephenson could be an intriguing option for Boston. With Jonathan Marchessault among several Golden Knights players who need a new contract, Vegas may not be able to afford to keep Stephenson, who played an important role on Vegas’ Stanley Cup-winning team in 2023.
Stephenson scored 51 points this past season, but reached 65 and 64 in the two seasons prior, respectively. After starting his career as a fourth-liner with the Washington Capitals – winning his first Stanley Cup against Vegas in 2018 – Stephenson has developed into a top six forward that the Bruins could set their sights on if the ‘bigger’ names slip by.
Stephenson can play at center or on the wing, and Bruins coach Jim Montgomery appreciates versatility with his forwards. Stephenson’s face-off win percentage was over 50 percent in each of his four full seasons in Vegas, peaking at 58.1 percent in 2022-23.
He could slot in at center and allow Pavel Zacha to shift over to the wing, where he played in 2022-23, or lock down one of the ‘final’ top six wing spots that players like James van Riemsdyk, Danton Heinen and more cycled through last season.
The biggest question for Stephenson would be his next contract value. He was a bargain at his previous AAV ($2.75 million), so there’s reason to believe Stephenson will be looking to get paid with his next contract. AFPAnalytics projects a five-year, $28.16 million contract for him. For that type of money and term, the Bruins may prefer other options. However, if it comes down to availability on the open market, Stephenson would fill a need on multiple fronts.
